sinclair



J. A. SINCLAIR. Broom Head.

No. 67,075. Patented July 23. 186.7.

PETERS. FHOTO-UTMOGRAPMER, WASHINGTON D C guitar! gram gaunt @tiirr.

JAMES A. SINCLAIR, OF WOODSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WESTERNT. SINCLAIR, 'OF -SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 67,075, dated July 23', 1867.

IMPROVED BROOM-HEAD.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, J. A. SINCLAIR, of Woods'iield, in the county ofMonroe, in the State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful improvementin Broom-Clasps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to make and use the same, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view, and

Figure 2 is a'longitudinal vertical section showing the interior of thebroom-head and the method of securing the clasps thereto.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the clamps, showing the methodof attaching the ends of the bars.

Similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention has for its object to furnish a broom-clasp which willfirmly secure the broom-corn in place, pressing it together in a greateror less degree, and which will admit of the broom-corn being readilyremoved when worn out, and fresh introduced; and it consists in thecombination oftwo or more bent wires passing through the head-block, thelatter being enclosed in a metallic case, two or more bent wiresadjustably connected at their centres by wooden clamps, as will behereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, A represents the head-hlocl composed of wood or otherproper material, and having at its centres. transverse aperture toreceive the end of the handle 13. a a are holes in the head-block, twoupon each side .of the centre aperture, in which the handle B is placed,and inclining outwardly therefrom to the ends of the head-block. C G arethe fenders or stays of the broom-clasp. These fenders or stays arecomposed of two pieces of bent wire, or of any other suitable material,passed through the inclined holes a a in the head-block, and parallel toeach other, their centres resting upon the inner surface of thehead-block in the direction of its length, and upon each side of thecentral aperture formed to receive the end of the handle B. Afterpassing through the head-block they are bent over its ends, as shown atb in the drawings, fig. 2, and parallel with each other, incliningslightly outward to the distance required to form the length of clasp.Their ends are bent over, forming loops 0 c. D represents the upper andD the lower bars or braces upon each side of the clasp for the purposeof enclosing the broom-corn and serving to strengthen and securetogether the fenders or stays O C. These bars are each composed of onepiece of stiifiron or other suitable wire bent upon itself-in such amanner as to form two parallel sides or rails, as shown clearly infig. 1. The bars D are secured to the ends of the fenders C C by beingpassed through-the loops 0 0, around which they are bent spirally, asshown at d d. The bars D, in length somewhat less than the bars D, aresecured at about the centre of the fenders c 0, around which they alsoare bent spirally as at d d, the distance between such spiral bends uponthe edges of the clasp determining the thickness of the some and alsothe thickness of the broom, as is obvious. At the centre of each of thebars D D, thus formed, another spiral bend, e, is formed through whichone end of the bolt E passes. F F are clamps composed of wood or anyother suitable material, and of about the shape shown in the drawings. Iprefer to use Wood for this purpose, because ofits lightness moreparticularly. It is not necessary, however, to make them of this shape,as they may be made round or square, or of any other suitable shape.Their inner surfaces are grooved longitudinally to fit over and upon,thebars D D, in order to prevent their turning when it is desired totighten the bars and compress the broom-corn. These clamps are held inposition upon the bars D D by means of the bolts E passing throughsuitable holes prepared for that purpose. One end of each bolt isprovided with a head, and upon the other end a screw-thread is cut toreceive a nut, e, as shown in dotted lines in fig. 1. Suitable washersare interposed between the nuts and clamps in the ordinary manner.

In attaching the clamps F to the bars D and D, I have adopted the methodof inserting the ends of the wire composing the bars (said ends beingbent over slightly for that purpose) in shallow holes formed in theclamps F upon each side of the central apertures through which the boltsE pass. By this means the clamps are prevented from turning, and areheld firmly and securely in place. Instead of'this method the ends ofeach bar may be bent over the bolts E, forming clasps or loops, or theymay be welded together and bent spirally around the bolt as at e in theopposite bar.

The inner end of the handle B is provided with anotch, e, fitting overthe bolt E of the bars D, thereby 67,075 2 preventing the latter fromslipping toward the head-block or the handle B from having any lateralplay. The latter is also retained in place by means of a screw passingthrough the side of the head-block. The head-block A is enclosedupon'its sides and outer edges by a metallic casing, G, composed of tin,iron, or any other proper material; The portiong Composing the edges ofthe case is perforated at its centre for the passage of the handleB,said perforation corresponding in position to the aperture in thehead-block for the said handle. Its ends are bent over and secured uponeach end of the bars I), as shown at f, fig. 2; it is also secured tothe head-block by means of screws or nails. The sides h of the casing Gare secured to the head-block 'A by means of screws, as shown. Theirupper .edges are turned over and secured at 2' to the bars I), and areslightly cut away at their centre to permit ready access to the clamps FB. One of these sides It is provided with a lug or small handle, 2",upon its lower edge, for convenience in raising or opening the side whenthe screws are removed, said side turning freely on the bent ends jj,which serve the purpose of hinges. By this means the'ends of thebroom-corn can always be reached with the utmost facility for anypurpose desired.

. In using my invention the ends of the broom-corn or brush are passedbetween the bars D andD, resting upon the inner surface of thehead-block and enclosed bythe metallic case. The clamps F and F are thentightened by means of the nuts e to a greater or less degree, as may bedesired. When'the brush becomes old and worn out it can be easilyandreadily removed and anew one substituted therefor. Thus it will beseen that a simple and complete adjustable broom-clasp is produced,combining the essential qualities of lightness, cheapness, anddurability. v v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is The combination of the head-block A,metallic casing G, fenders or stays O C, clamps F F, bars D D,

bolts E, and handle B, substantially as described for the purposespecified.

JAMES A. SINCLAIR.

Witnesses:

W. T. SINcLAIit, JOHN WALTON.

